Highlights

Kolkata: West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress today expressed happiness at being given a clear majority in the state Assembly elections by most of the exit polls.

"We will wait for May 19 and the actual results. The people of Bengal will bless Trinamool abundantly. Mamata Banerejee government's peace and communal harmony will win the hearts and minds of the people of Bengal," TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien said.

On the other hand, the opposition combine of the Left Front and Congress is hopeful that the formation of an alliance government is only a matter of time.

Most of the exit poll surveys by regional and national channels have given TMC a clear majority in the 294-member Assembly.

CPM MP Ritabrata Banerjee and Congress leader Abdul Mannan said that whatever might be the exit poll prediction, the formation of the alliance government was "imminent."

I am the real Hindu. It is the most tolerant religion. But I am talking about the narrow-mindedness of Hindutva practised by the RSS: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to CNN News18

20:43 (IST)

All accusations of us encouraging infiltration are wrong. I don't want my son to come in Assam. Running a state needs experience: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to CNN News18

20:38 (IST)

AIADMK confident of victory

The AIADMK refuses to believe that it is going to lose. It even blamed the DMK of using its influence in the media and accused it of distributing money among voters. Yogendra Yadav however called Tamil Nadu hard to predict. He was surprised with two polls going exactly the opposite way. From the exit polls it is likely that the big fight would be between the two largest alliances of the AIADMK and the DMK. The nature of anti-incumbency seems to have confused the psephologists.

20:34 (IST)

20:29 (IST)

People have voted for BJP for the peace and development in Assam: BJP Assam chief ministerial candidate. Only BJP can give development and peace to the state and that's why people voted for the party. BJP is going to form the government with majority: Sarbananda Sonowal to CNN-News18

20:24 (IST)

20:22 (IST)

We have been always pro-GST even when BJP was against it. BJP and Congress are playing ball with each other on AgustaWestland issue. We are at equal distance from Congress and BJP: TMC's Derek O'Brien to CNN-News18

Those (exit polls) are not the figures we are getting. Confident of winning Assam and good show in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal. Will wait for the 19th: Congress Lok Sabha MP from Assam's Jorhat constituency Gaurav Gogoi to Firstpost.

19:33 (IST)

C Voter predicts on Kerala

LDF: 78

UDF: 58

NDA: 2

Others: 2

19:32 (IST)

BJP has taken lot of UDF votes rather than the LDF votes as it voteshare increases in Kerala: Sachidananda Murthy of The Week

19:25 (IST)

19:25 (IST)

With Rahul Gandhi at the helm of affairs nobody can cure Congress: Assam BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma on Times Now

19:24 (IST)

Yogendra Yadav on Times Now: We are looking at four clear verdicts this time. Talk on hung assembly is sweet because we have 72 hours left. For Assam, it is a clear victory for BJP-AGP-BPF in Asam. Since Congress votes are evenly spread they are going to suffer severely.

Firstpost senior editor Akshaya Mishra on West Bengal: Ideology is losing relevance among voters. The trend of this round of assembly elections so far, and the elections over the last few years , suggests that the electorate wants a stable government more than one based on ideology. It's believed those who voted for the BJP in the 2014 elections voted for Mamata this time. Are we heading towards an India without ideologies?

18:50 (IST)

Swapan Dasgupta on CNN-News18: What the BJP-AGP combine in Assam will do if it wins as predicted to secure the rights of the indigenous people against the influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh?

18:48 (IST)

Firstpost political editor Sanjay Singh says: The exit polls suggest Congress' downfall in West Bengal and Assam. It does not matter whether it is on its own or it's piggybacking.

Mamata Banerjee remains to be the most popular leader in West Bengal and is poised to return to power for the next five years, according to Axis-IT and ABP Ananda. The Left-Congress combine couldn’t match her persona and popularity irrespective of Saradha scam, Narada video sting and collapse of a flyover. Mamata is the queen, if ABP Ananda and Axis-IT predictions are to be believed.

The big news comes from Assam. The BJP is all set to invade the biggest north-eastern state. The party takes a quantum leap from a meager six to a whopping two-third majority. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah will have every reason to celebrate very soon. It comes as a huge relief to the party after suffering a humiliating defeat in Delhi and Bihar. Axis and C-Voter predict clear victory for BJP and its allies.

18:47 (IST)

Firstpost senior editor Akshaya Mishra on West Bengal: If exit poll trends are to be believed, all alleged scandals - Narada, Saradha and the bridge collapse - failed to unseat Mamata. She retains her popularity among people, particularly the rural masses. Corruption, it appears, is no more a big issue for voters; credibility of the leader is.

18:46 (IST)

People will decide who will be kingmaker or queenmaker in Assam: AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal to CNN-News18

Firstpost senior editor Akshaya Mishra on West Bengal: Bad news again for the Congress. According to exit polls, Assam is gone and its alliance in Bengal with CPM has failed to trounce the TMC. Its strategy to fight states with bigger alliance partners appears to failing.

Firstpost senior editor Akshaya Mishra says: After the debacle in Delhi and Bihar, finally good news for the BJP in Assam. All exit polls say the BJP-led alliance is winning, with a convincing margin. A lot was at stake for the party here in this round of election. It goes one step forward towards ensuring Congress-mukt bharat.

AIUDF 6 to 10 ">

18:33 (IST)

Axis-IT exit poll for India Today predicts BJP win in Assam

BJP plus allies 79 to 93;

Cong 26 to 33;

AIUDF 6 to 10

With the feverish pace of Assembly polls in five states—Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry— coming to a close, all eyes now have shifted to the day of counting on 19 May. Ahead of the D-day, the exit polls conducted by various media houses could give some indication about which the votes have gone but these are all at the end of the day mere calculations.

Votes locked in EVMs. Reuters.

While 126 Assembly seats in Assam went for polls, 294 of the West Bengal Assembly constituencies also voted. All of 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, 140 in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry also went for polls.

The polls assume significance as it would determine not only the performance of the respective governments but would also be a near mid-term for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

It would be interesting to figure out if incumbent chief ministers Tarun Gogoi in Assam, Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, J Jayalalithaa in Kerala and Oommen Chandy in Kerala would succumb to anti-incumbency.